This blog is mainly about the spectacular train wreck at The Sacramento Bee and its parent company, the McClatchy Company. But I also post about current events, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, politics, anything else that grabs my attention. Take a look around this blog, hope you enjoy it.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Amazing stat of the day: Newsweek's paid newsstand circulation is less than 67,000 copies a week

Newsweek lost $20.3 million in the first quarter of this year on revenue of $46.1 million. Those are ugly numbers. But given the circulation statistics, they're hardly surprising. It's a little hard to see why—especially in an age of real-time online news—The Washington Post Co. is keeping Newsweek alive. Readers (and advertisers) just don't seem to care.

20 comments:

Senator Ted Kennedy, who is now 76 years old and was diagnosed with brain cancer in May of last year, is telling the world that nationalized medical care is "the cause of his life." He wants to see it pass as soon as possible, before he departs this vale of tears.

The prospect of Kennedy's passing is viewed by the liberal press with anticipatory tears and mourning. But they are not asking the proper question by their own lights: That question -- which will be asked for you and me when we reach his age and state in life --- is this:

Is Senator Kennedy's life valuable enough to dedicate millions of dollars to extending it another month, another day, another year?

Because Barack Obama and Ted Kennedy agree with each other that they of all people are entitled to make that decision. Your decision to live or die will now be in their hands.

Anyone who thinks that the cost savings from Obamacare don't rest on denying services to people who are deemed not to "deserve" those services is not paying attention. If you let Obamacare pass, you will be inviting a government bureaucrat to decide if you or a loved one should live or die based on their politics, their ideology and their budget projections.

MW: You may call this story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/17/AR2009051702074.html) about Newsweek "spin", but pay attention to the data points.

The circulation of Newsweek is currently about 3 million. Newsweek intends to cut it to 1.5 million by 2010. A deliberate and calculated move to reduce expenses, shed less desired circulation and move to the web.

It would have been better, in my opinion, to include these figures in your original post along with the newsstand circulation for better context. Especially since you've cited revenue figures for the entire pub.

Several of my friends have stopped their AARP memberships because its publication is so gung-ho Obama and national health care plan, etc. The backlash against liberal media is backruptcy. NBC and MSNBC would be long gone by now if it wasn't for their deep-pocketed corporate ownership. The ratings for MSNBC are woeful.

Newsweek is NOT trying to shed circulation...they are admitting the truth. They can no longer guarantee the levels of circulation they have in the past...it's economically unsustainiable. In Newsweeks case they have cast aside the mask of fairness and are an openly liberal, ideologically driven publication...no problem with that for me...they are at least telling the truth. Now we will see if there is a market for what they offer.One thing is certain, the era of Time and Newsweek as weekly newsmagazines, giving America a more measured and in depth view of events has ended. As the newsmags moved left, their audiences left too. They are both openly advocates for a point of view. The only real change is "openly".

//Insurance companies can be sued. The government will just say sorry.//

Incorrect and a key part of the reason that health care is in the shape that it is. Ted Kennedy's HMO mess ensured this result. Insurance companies make billions off the HMO market, are guaranteed a slice of the pie, can fix prices and you can't sue them. They don't have to compete in the market place and you can't participate under the same conditions as your employer.

//NBC and MSNBC would be long gone by now if it wasn't for their deep-pocketed corporate ownership.//

Also incorrect. NBC and MSNBC would be long gone if it wasn't for the fact that GE is a government bailout recipient just as the big banks are, without the oversight and restrictions imposed on them. GE is in all respects a government (Obama) owned institution.

7:35AM: The truth is Newsweek is deliberately reducing its circulation by reducing its reliance on discounts for renewals.

From the story, "Newsweek, whose circulation was as high as 3.1 million in recent years, plans to cut that to 1.5 million by the beginning of 2010, in part by discouraging renewals. The magazine will begin charging the average subscriber about 90 cents an issue, nearly double the current rate."

Discounting as a means to entice people to buy something is nothing new to newspapers, magazines, retail stores, cable or, heck, just about everything.

More liberal publications on the rocks. Newsweek has been hurting for a couple of years. When are these pubs going to realize that most so-called liberals are uneducated, poor and don't buy mags or watch cable news channels? Conservatives, on the other hand, are voracious readers and love to keep up with politics. Check the NY Times nonfiction bestsellers list and you'll see three or four (including No.1) books are by right-leaning authors. It's been this way for years.

Anthea Stratigos is chief executive of Outsell Inc., a media research and advisory outfit she co-founded in 1998.

Its most recent annual marketing study predicts $65 billion will be siphoned away from traditional advertising channels in 2009 and spent instead on companies' own Web sites and Internet marketing. Forbes spoke with Stratigos about where the market is going:

Forbes: Even in an age of trillion dollar bailouts, $65 billion is a hefty sum. Can you put this in context?

BERLIN (AFP) – A German gardener's house was left a smouldering wreck on Friday after he set it on fire while trying to get rid of the weeds with the help of a flame-thrower, police said.

After accidentally setting his hedge alight, the 54-year-old's garden shed was soon also engulfed in flames and despite efforts to extinguish the fire with a garden hose, the blaze spread to the roof of the house.

I tried to buy a subscription for someone stationed in Iraq. Impossible to do online because it doesn't take apo addresses. I called customer service and was transferred five times. The first call was answered overseas. Ironically, the last call led back to them and started me on the same circuit.Newsweek never responded to my emails. A willing customer met with barriers..... sign meI would have paid but no one would take my order

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